


... Served her King

by InkRyuu



Series: The Dragon That... [2]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkRyuu/pseuds/InkRyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dragon That series focuses on the four current dragons with the possibility of them being female, since we truly need more female dragons in this amazing fandom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	... Served her King

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here is the second installment of The Dragon That series. This time, I ended up going with Zeno, who if you will notice doesn't have the name Zeno. Yet. Please wait for the second chapter to this work specifically to find out why I went with this option rather than having her be named Zeno.  
> Also, thank you to CynicWithATwist, as well as GoldenWooly, for the help you both gave me. Thank you both so very much~

“Yoko, come inside.”

Yoko’s mother’s words evaded her as she sat on a rock just on the outskirts of their property, her knees drawn close to her as she stared as the shadows creeped closer to her. There was a brisk chill to the air, autumn fast approaching the farm, the days growing shorter with each setting sun. The day was ending fast, she was aware of this, but the voices that whispered to her were louder in this spot, an urgent tone in their voice that held her in place.

She wondered what could possibly be bothering the gods, could possibly be causing them to sound almost panicked. She closed her eyes, ignoring the sensation of her hair tickling her nose, willing the voices to speak louder to her.

“… Yoko…”

She remained quiet, keeping her breathing as silent and light as she could, listening to the warm voice in her ear. It was the voice she heard the most often, the one that reminded her of golden rays of sunlight, of her grandfather’s warm hugs.

“Yoko I must speak with you, please…”

Yoko nodded her head, taking a slow and deep breath. “I’m-”

“Yoko, come inside! The sun is setting!”

The girl sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping as she opened her eyes to once again survey her surroundings, huffing in slight annoyance as the soothing voice faded from her ears. That was three times now, Yoko thought, that her mother had prevented her from listening to what the gods had wanted her to hear.

Well, there was no use in crying over spilled milk, she reasoned, dusting her hanbok off as she turned to walk back to her home, spotting her mother standing patiently in the doorway.

“I’m coming,” Yoko replied before her mother could call again. “I’m coming, don’t worry so much, mother.”

“Yoko, tonight.” She froze, the voice once again in her ear, as loud and clear as the voice of her mothers. “Tonight we will speak.”

“Yoko, my child, what are you doing? You’ll catch a cold if you remain out here longer!” Her mother called, rushing out of the doorway to pull the girl close, leading her inside. “What am I to do with a daughter who always has her head in the clouds?”

“Mother, I told you…”

“Yes, yes, you’re listening to the Voice of the Gods. That line worked on your grandfather, but not me.”

Yoko sighed, shaking her head as her mother led her inside, closing the door firmly behind her.

 

* * *

 

The sun had set, taking with it the long shadows that had formed during the day, replacing them with the almost pure black the night brought. Yoko sighed as she wrapped the cloak around her, paying extra mind to not make much sound. She didn’t need her mother waking up, as she would only ask her where she was going, and she still wasn’t sure what she was doing herself.

All she knew was that she had to speak to the god that had been whispering urgently to her.

All she knew was that she couldn’t speak to the god here.

She quickly pushed the door open, paying mind to keep it from creaking. Slowly, she gained her freedom, rushing out into the dark of the night to the rock where the god’s voices were loudest, rushing towards the answers she was desperately seeking. There were hardly any sounds around her as she approached the rock, the eerie silence of the night engulfing her.

“You have arrived.”

The voice was loud and crisp, startling the girl. She looked around herself, frowning as she attempted to locate the source of the sound.

“Dear child, I am right in front of you.”

Almost in a blinding flash a golden dragon appeared, its massive form appearing from nowhere. Yoko gasped as she stepped back, craning her neck to look up at the massive creature, her eyes growing wide in awe.

“… Ouryuu…”

“Thank you for coming to see me, dear child.” The dragon spoke, staring down at her.

“It’s… It’s a pleasure to speak with you, Dragon God!” Yoko replied, quickly bowing before the golden dragon, keeping her head lowered. “I hadn’t… Realized it was you whom I was speaking with…”

“No need for formalities, my dear child,” Ouryuu spoke, lowering himself to be on eye level with her. “I have… A rather selfish request to ask of you, as it were.”

“A request to ask of me?”

“You are aware of Hiryuu, correct?”

Yoko nodded her head, pulling the cloak around her tighter. “The human that claimed to be the dragon god and took kingship of the land?”

“Yes, my foolish brother who loved humans so much he decided to become one,” the dragon snorted, shaking his head with a heavy sigh. “My idiot brother who is to be executed in three days…”

There was something about the way Ouryuu spoke that sent chills down Yoko’s spine, that made her blood run cold. She looked up at the massive dragon, almost afraid to speak. There was something about the way the dragon looked down at her that made her uncomfortable, and no matter where she looked the feeling remained.

“Hakuryuu, Seiryuu, Ryokuryuu, and I have decided to gift four humans with our blood to protect our brother on earth, as he refuses to return to the heavens with us and we cannot remain in this world,” Ouryuu continued, his voice low and gentle. “Four humans we want to become Hiryuu’s companions and protectors, blessed with gifts that are what makes each of us four dragons a god.”

“So you need me to find someone who can receive your gift, Dragon God?” Yoko asked, looking at the god in confusion. The way Ouryuu was phrasing it was making her confused. If that was all she had to do, it would be simple. There were men in the village who would be worthy of the blood of a god, she reasoned, slowly crossing her arms as she allowed herself to become lost in thought, hardly paying attention when Ouryuu spoke next.

“No,” the dragon replied, “I have already chosen you as my dragon warrior.”

Yoko froze as she stared at him, her mind racing at the thought. “Me? A Dragon Warrior? One of _the_ four Dragon Warriors? But… I am neither a heroic figure, nor a veteran. I’m a seventeen year old girl, for heavens sake! How can someone like me protect Hiryuu…? I simply _cannot_ become a warrior, let alone _your_ warrior!”

Her words sounded odd to her. Her grandfather’s voice echoed in her ears, whispering to her to trust in the gods that she could hear. With a gulp Yoko shook her head, forcing herself to calm down, forcing her heart to slow. But mostly to force herself to say these next words.

“… But… Even if it truly is someone like me…” Someone like her, a girl who should be preparing for marriage, should be finding any way she could to help her mother. “This world… Could I even make it a better place, by being at Hiryuu’s side…? Would I be able to make everyone just a little bit happier…?”

The dragon nodded his head, its eyes never once leaving Yoko. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue to speak, to say the words that were suddenly frightening to her. “Give that dragon blood… To me…”

 _Grandfather said to trust the gods_ , she thought, her stomach swirl in fear of the unknown. _He said to trust the gods to know what they are doing. Trust them._

“Thank you, Yoko.” The dragon whispered softly, lowering his head, gently nuzzling the top of her head. “Please, protect my brother in my place.”

She felt numb at the gods’ words, a chill going down her spine at the touch, but a feeling of complete calm washing over her in the same moment. The dragon had pulled away, taking with him the sudden calm. She looked up at the dragon god, watched with awe as he pulled a golden chalice with rubies set from beneath his scales. She watched in in a mixture of shock and dread as the creature set the chalice on the ground, slicing a scaly arm deep enough to draw blood. Yoko could feel her heart leap into her chest, could choke her at the sight. She forced herself not to vomit at the sight, forced herself to remain calm and watch, for fear she may miss something. This was something she would never see again in her lifetime, to hell she would ever miss watching this.

After what felt like hours, but had to be mere minutes, the dragon curled in on itself, looking at Yoko with wide, clear eyes. She took a gulp, staring down at the chalice with a feeling of dread nestling into her stomach.

“Drink, Yoko. With my blood you will become my warrior. With my blood, you will receive the title of Ouryuu Yoko. Please wear it proudly.”

_Warriors of the Four Dragons!_

Yoko picked the chalice up, forcing her hands to be steady as she brought it to her lips, squeezing her eyes tightly closed with the first drink she took. She pushed the sudden desire to spit the blood out, forcing the red liquid down her throat.

_From here on, you are our other halves._

The blood consumed her, filling every last inch of her body with a raging fire, and yet she still continued to drink, determined to finish the remainder of the blood, determined to prove she could to the god. This was a gift he was giving her, to not finish would insult the god.

_With Hiryuu as your master…_

Finally, the blood was finished. She forced herself not to drop the chalice. She set it down, carefully, feeling the sudden desire to empty the liquid from her stomach rise. To do so would be a disgrace. She forced the feeling down, forcing herself to stand again, surprised to find her body ignore her. She found herself remaining on her knees, forcing herself to stay conscious as the dragon seemed to hover over her, a completely blank expression on his face.

_Protect, cherish…_

How fitting, she thought, that the dragon would have no remorse over the pain she was going through. The blood was taking over her body, Yoko could feel it, knew it deep in her soul. It found the way to her heart, flowing through her veins, filling every last inch of her with the burning fire. She coughed, feeling her will fade away from her, feeling herself fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

_And never betray him…_

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what had happened next. Ouryuu had stood over her, perhaps he had picked her up, and flew with her on his back. Perhaps he had used magic on her to send her to where she needed to be, which had been in front of the red king himself. Yoko didn’t know. The next thing she remembered was waking up, standing on her feet, with three older men looking at her, yelling for her to wake up so they could save their king. She never said good bye to her mother. She probably never would be able to.

_For as long as you live!_


End file.
